Archive for March, 2010

Forgiveness continues to be the most misunderstood topic of A Course in Miracles. And yet it is the most essential; it is the crux of A Course in Miracles.

Perhaps the most succinct illumination of forgiveness comes not in the Course itself, but in The Song of Prayer (which I suspect that most students of A Course in Miracles have not read), which followed the transcription of the Course. It calls the “normal” type of pardon, “forgiveness-to-destroy.”

“No gift of Heaven has been more misunderstood than has forgiveness. It has, in fact, become a scourge; a curse where it was meant to bless, a cruel mockery of grace, a parody upon the holy peace of God. Yet those who have not yet chosen to begin the steps of prayer cannot but use it thus. Forgiveness’ kindness is obscure at first, because salvation is not understood, nor truly sought for. What was meant to heal is used to hurt because forgiveness is not wanted. Guilt becomes salvation, and the remedy appears to be a terrible alternative to life.”

Forgiveness is not an action; forgiveness is a way of seeing. In terms of A Course in Miracles, forgiveness is exactly and identically the same as Atonement, salvation, true perception. spiritual vison, the eyes of Christ.

“Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. It does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin.” [from the Workbook, part II]

HAS NOT OCCURRED! NOTHING HAPPENED! This is some statement! Any other interpretation of forgiveness then is attack. And there is no such thing as to “practice forgiveness.” In fact this phrase appears nowhere in A Course in Miracles.

Please, if we are to be sincere students of A Course in Miracles we must at least make an attempt to understand what the Course means by its significant concepts…or at least realize that we really have no clue… instead of just muddling along with our own mistaken understandings.